LIBERAL, Kan. -- A Kansas convenience-store chain apparently just slip past having to file for bankruptcy protection this past week when an interested party offered a helping hand as an investment partner.
Word on the street in Liberal, Kan., was that the 13-store Convenience Plus chain, owned and operated by Wes-Kan Oil Co., was going to close its stores this past Wednesday. But a source for the company told CSP Daily News, that necessity was averted at the last minute.
We had a major bump in the road this week, company [image-nocss] president Ronda Widener said, but right now all of our stores are open and we're doing business as usual.
Widener declined to go into detail about the issue but said the chain is now working with the interested party to keep the chain open for business. It's moving very fast. I don't know for sure when we'll be ready to release any other information, she said. We're talking with an interested party. That's where we're at right now.
She said if the unidentified potential investor hadn't gotten involved, filing for bankruptcy would have been the most likely next step for the company.
According to a report in the Southwest Daily Times, the company is projected to have new leadership. "For now, all I can say is the stores will remain open and all customers' accounts will be honored," an unnamed source told the newspaper.
Liberal, Kan.-based Wes-Kan operates 13 stores under the Convenience Plus brand, selling ConocoPhillips and Valero gasolines.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.